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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22595827">Love is a battlefield</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/GrimmjowKurosaki19/pseuds/GrimmjowKurosaki19'>GrimmjowKurosaki19</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Zutara Month [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Zutara Month, Zutara Month 2020</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 14:22:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,770</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22595827</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/GrimmjowKurosaki19/pseuds/GrimmjowKurosaki19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>For the Zutara month:</p><p>A few years after they end the war, Zuko is forced to choose a wife</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Katara/Zuko (Avatar)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Zutara Month [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1623841</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>357</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Zutara Month 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Love is a battlefield</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>For the Zutara month day three: Season 4 Zutara</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Zuko and Mai eventually break up, his council decides that he will have to accept a bride of their choosing, he’s twenty after all, and he’s already two times over due to marry a worthy woman to produce an heir for their nation.</p><p>“I am not a bargaining chip nor a stud for you to use!” exclaims Zuko in outrage, furiously standing up off his seat as he hears his councilmen speculate about the perfect prospects for a future wife for him. “I am your Fire Lord!”</p><p>“And as our Fire Lord you have a duty with your people,” Counters one of his councilmen, “Our nation deserves the stability that comes with an heir, moreover, the duties of our Fire Lady had been sorely neglected for years under yours and your father’s reign.” </p><p>This is true. Historically, the Fire Lady works alongside the Fire Lord, listening to the people, bringing social stability and opening several charities to help those most in need. But without Ursa and with Mai not willing to step on this responsibility, those task just hadn’t been done.</p><p>Bringing up his father and comparing Zuko to him it’s all they need to break Zuko’s spirit. He falls on his seat with resignation, resting his forehead on both of his hands, sighing.</p><p>His uncle Iroh, having earned his seat on the council by principle alone of being himself, and knowing his dear nephew all too well, stands up. An idea already forming on his head.</p><p>“Then I recommend we employ the methods our forefathers used to choose their Fire Ladies before.” He proposes in a tone of voice that suggests he’s not really leaving this up to discussion. “Each one of us, councilmen will choose a woman we believe worthy of being our Fire Lady,” He explains, smiling as his beloved nephew frowns at him with a betrayed expression on his face. “Then Zuko will fight her to decide who shall be his wife, his true equal.” The room falls completely silent and he smirks to himself. “Or are you afraid that whatever woman you choose for our Fire Lord is not strong enough to face him nor accompany him in battle?”</p><p>After that the whole room agrees, even Zuko looks at him with contemplation, his dear nephew should know to trust him more.</p><p>“Who are you choosing, uncle?” Asks Zuko as soon as they leave the room.</p><p>“It’s no use waiting for your ship to come in, unless you’ve sent one out.” Smiles Iroh enigmatically. Zuko just groans and leaves him alone in response, his now longer hair swinging with the movement of his shoulders.</p><p>As the week progresses, Zuko fights and wins over every woman his councilmen throw at him without much effort. He tries to be merciful with them, because, no one deserves the humiliation he lived as a teenager, after all. But he’s not willing to give anyone of them any chances.</p><p>At the end of the month, after he’s defeated every prospect, the only woman that remains is his uncle’s choice.</p><p>As soon as Zuko enters the arena for his final battle he opens his palms and allows bright bursts of fire to fall from his hands, trying to intimidate his opponent from the start, only to find one of the only women in the four nations who would never be intimidated by him. His old friend Katara standing at the center of the arena with a canteen full of water resting on her hip and winning smirk dancing on her beautiful face. </p><p>The Fire Lord can’t help but smirk back. He never could win against Katara.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Fight</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Zuko fights Katara</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>For the Zutara month day four: Don’t hurt her/him.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Zuko can’t afford to show favoritism on his fight with Katara. He was merciful yet ruthless on his previous duels with the choices of his council, tried to avoid hurting them too much or worst, permanently scarring them but he never let them believe that they had a chance. He tried to defeat them all on the first five minutes of his fights and in most cases, he succeeded.</p><p>He has to fight Katara with the intention of winning, even if he were loose her in the process. The entire Fire Nation knows of his connection to Katara, and if he were to show any weakness in the face of his dear friend, they would declare the result of their fight, a failure.</p><p>So he is the first to attack as soon his uncle allows them to start the duel. He throws wide bursts of fire right at her face, even as he worries about scarring her beautiful face. Katara in turn uses almost all of the water on her canteen to protect herself from the fire. She doesn’t stop there, instead, she throws the resulting steam at his face inhibiting his sight.</p><p>Zuko is not able to see as Katara jumps over his head with two sets of water whips ready to hit him on his head and maybe knock him unconscious, but hopefully, he’s able to dodge her just as he feels the tip of one her whips cut through the skin of his right cheek, and the other cuts through the high knot on his hair. Destroying his image of perfect poise and composure.</p><p>He’s avoided a dangerous blow, but the fight it’s already on her favour. She drew first blood, after all.</p><p>“I liked you better with your hair loose, anyway.” She laughs, and Zuko can’t help but to laugh in return.</p><p>On the stands, the councilmen take note of this, immediately. No one had been able to make their Fire Lord bleed in a long time. Consequently, with a somber face, they notify their guards to attack the water tribe girl if they feel that their lord might be in danger of her.</p><p>Back in the arena, Zuko and Katara had both decided to fight hand to hand instead of through their bending. It’s obvious that Zuko it’s far more capable on this front than Katara. The waterbender might be a prodigy on her art, but years of training had made Zuko a formidable fighter.</p><p>He manages to overpower her on the first five minutes of their hand and hand combat, his body far larger than hers easily falling over hers, his hands firmly placed on her wrists as he tries to make her yield.</p><p>“Surrender,” he orders in a firm tone of voice, his mismatched eyes piercing her own blue eyes.</p><p>“You know I won’t.” She smirks, the steam they both created while on the first minutes of their fight accumulating on his hands and easily freezing them to his horror.</p><p>He jumps away from her, summoning bright fire to his arms. “Couldn’t help to fall to your little tricks?” He taunts with a grin.</p><p>“Let’s end this like master benders,” she suggests, drawing the remaining water from her canteen and absorbing the water from the humidity around them.</p><p>She throws water at his feet as he charges for her, playfully freezing the thin sheet of sweat covering his body just to throw him off balance. He in turn cages her in a circle of fire she effortlessly escapes by levitating on the steam they can’t help but to create together in their fighting.</p><p>They’re both tired by the end of their duel, but the turning point it’s the moment Zuko falls on his back to avoid a sharp disc of ice directed at his neck while the girl doesn’t miss the opportunity and immediately throws a row of sharp ice daggers at his head that Zuko is not fast enough to stop.</p><p>Two things happen at the same time. First, Katara stops the daggers herself, just millimetres away from Zuko’s face. Just as a group of ten guards jumps on her with their weapons ready to subjugate the woman who defeated their Lord.</p><p>“Don’t hurt her!” Screams Zuko, from his place on the ground, where Katara left him. “Don’t you dare to touch your future Fire Lady!” He growls, mismatched eyes shining like fire, his long hair failing on his forehead and the ice daggers melting with the heat of his fury.</p><p>The guards hastily get away from Katara; the entire arena falls silent.</p><p>Fire Lord Zuko has been defeated, but as he stares at Katara with an intensity never shown to his people nor his council.</p><p>It seems like he won.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I hope you like this chapter and reviews are more than welcome!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Symbol of love</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Katara fought for Zuko, now he must craft for Katara.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>For the Zutara month day five: Southern water tribe culture</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="">
  <p>Later that night, when the whole court celebrates Katara’s triumph over Zuko in a grand banquet in her honour, Zuko understands that maybe he was being pretentious when he called her Fire Lady.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>It is true, that Katara came to his Nation knowing that participating on the duel against him would win her nothing but essentially, his hand in marriage. (And authority over his country, a position of power that would grant her influence over one of the wealthiest and more powerful nations). But Katara is not avaricious, she’s the most honorable woman he’s ever meet.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Maybe she only came to save him from the horrible fate of being part of a loveless marriage, maybe she didn’t even know she came to the Fire Nation to fight for his hand, she probably only responded to his uncle’s calling of her to save him.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Maybe she doesn’t want to be the Fire Lady of his nation as Zuko so boldly named her.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He’s wants to ask her.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Now that he’s opened up to the idea of marrying Katara and making her his Fire Lady to rule alongside her as equals, Zuko realises that he really wants to make this vision a reality. He’s always respected Katara, even when she was his enemy he could tell she was a formidable opponent. He’s loved for a really long time too, even if the love he felt for her wasn’t always of the romantic kind. Zuko loved her like a friend at first, then as family and now he loves her as the woman she’s become.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He wants her to be his Fire Lady, Zuko realises. He would do anything to convince her of his worth as a life partner.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Do you…?” He tries to say when he’s finally able to talk to her, after every member of the court took the opportunity to talk to her and praise her fighting skills. “Did uncle Iroh explain to you the reason of our duel?” Asks the man in the end, a deep red color covering his face.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Yes,” she smiles from behind a clear glass of wine from the earth kingdom that Zuko knows she prefers. “I was told that I was fighting for your hand in marriage,” taunts the waterbender.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Zuko’s eyes grow at this, Katara never even hinted about being interested in him, he’s mostly thought of her as a dear friend and he always believed that she thought of him in the same way. “And do you want to…?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Marry you?” Asks Katara in a teasing tone. Her soft looking lips rising in a taunting smile.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Yes,” he confirms, “Do you want to marry me, Katara?” He’s not confident, but he sounds it. Zuko would be dammed if his sudden shyness costed him the perfect partner.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“No,” She denies, to his horror. Suddenly all of his fears being confirmed to him. “At least no before you carve my engagement necklace.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Your engagement necklace?” Repeats Zuko, dumbly. Suddenly very aware of the beautiful piece of jewellery resting on the girl’s graceful neck.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“It has to mean something for us too,” she comments, “It will become the symbol of our marriage, after all.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Katara fought for his hand, he thinks, she someted herself to his nation’s almost dead traditions. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Carving a necklace can’t be that hard.</p>
</div>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I hope you liked this chapter and reviews are always welcome</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Equals</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Zuko realises they have to rule as equals</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is the last chapter for the Love is a battlefield series, at least until another prompt for the month inspires me to write more, but I already have an idea for the next prompt.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Zuko carves the start of an engagement necklace for Katara but he doesn’t finish it. He spends two months just gathering the materials for the piece of jewellery that will decide his future with the waterbender. </p><p>He relays power onto his uncle and in some measure, Katara over his country, while he travels the Four Nations in search for the materials. He thinks it will serve as training for her, but from deep within himself, he knows. She’s ready.</p><p>The ravenette travels to the Earth Kingdom just to gather some of the beautiful green crystals that illuminated their first real conversation. The moment they both realised that they had more in common than they thought, just until Zuko betrayed Katara’s misplaced trust. </p><p>It means something for the both of them, it represents their starting point.</p><p>In the Southern Water tribe, he finds Tugtupite, a beautiful pinkish-red gem that represents the furious fire he finds in her, the gem has the power to reawaken love and rediscover forgotten passions. Or so, Katara’s grandmother tells him. With it, he hopes to rediscover the longing glances they used to share while on their travels, the tight hugs they enjoyed, and the trust they developed over nightly secrets and back to back fighting.</p><p>In the Western Air Temple, Aang doesn’t allow him to kill one single animal for the leather string of the choker.</p><p>“No live shall be ended on this place ever again,” Aang tells him in a solemn tone of voice that makes him sound older than he is.</p><p>Instead, they spend weeks cleaning and treading Appa’s fur into tick, white braids to hold the result of his work.</p><p>He finds Hauyne from the depths of a flaming volcano in his homeland, the Fire Nation, a profound blue gem to represent the soothing peace he’s found from within himself. </p><p>Determination over anger, peace over war. It has healing properties over the mind and the soul, helps to find peacefulness and self-acceptance. Something they both sorely need.</p><p>He bonds the three gems with melting gold, but as he sees the final result, he finds that it isn’t enough. He’s carved the necklace himself, he’s spent months on this beautiful piece of jewellery and yet it’s not perfect.</p><p>He realises finally, that Katara should be part of the process.</p><p>Zuko invites her to the Ember Island in a warm night just as he comes back. </p><p>They both sit on the sand without minding the sand, nor the state of their clothes. He takes the necklace from the depths of his pockets and rests it on the sand in between them.</p><p>“Is that…?” She tries to ask, choking on her words. her dainty hand hovering over the necklace without daring to touch it. </p><p>This is it. The symbol of their union.</p><p>“It’s not finished yet.” He murmurs, somewhat ashamed of himself. What if he’s wrong? What if he’s disrespecting her and her culture?</p><p>“It looks finished to me,” she comments, “it’s beautiful.”</p><p>“I’ve…” he starts, unsure. “I’ve realised that our relationship can’t start with a symbol that I made single-handedly. I’m not alone in this, the rule of the Fire Nation will fall on both of our shoulders and no love can result from just one of us, so this necklace should be finished by the both of us.” He ends his speech, looking at her directly in the eyes and searching for an answer on those crystal clear pools of pure water.</p><p>“How?” She asks, simply. Moved by his words.</p><p>“I will melt the sand around the pedant and you only have to freeze it when I tell you to.” He instructs.</p><p>The necklace results in a round pedant, made from blue, green and red gems protected by clear glass they both made with their bending and held in her long neck by white cord contrasting her beautiful dark skin. Just as he locks the necklace in her neck, he asks again. “Will you marry me, Katara?”</p><p>She says yes.</p><hr/><p>By the end of the month, Katara stands by his side in front of his whole country, clothed in red and blue regal clothes, her long hair braided and held in place by the same royal fire pin he wears on his hair.</p><p>“All hail Fire Lord Zuko!” proclaims his uncle with his rarely heard of, deep solemn voice, the voice of the Dragon of the West.</p><p>“All hail Fire Lord Zuko!” Repeats the crowd, followed by a round of applause that Zuko ends with a firm yet gentle move of his hand.</p><p>“All hail Fire Lady Katara!” Proclaims Zuko, taking Katara’s hand in his and kissing the back of it with reverence.</p><p>“All hail Fire Lady Katara!” Screams the crowd, declaring her ruler of his nation, the most powerful woman in the country and their lord’s true equal.</p><p>This is the start of their rule of peace, held in place by their power and their determination.</p><p>Together.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I hope you liked this and reviews are always welcome!</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I hope you like this fic and reviews are always welcome.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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